Monday, November 26, 2012

After seeing my friend Camille Cottle post this delicious banana cream pie she made I hinted that sharing it would be a great way to "observe and serve" like Sister Burton talked about in General Conference...apparently she agreed and we LOVED it! It was AMAZING!

The Turkey run!
This year the "older folks" ran at home then took Gracie, Emily and Justin to run the mile race.
Emily REALLY wanted to beat her mom...she made a bet with me that if she won I would give her $50.00..(thank you Uncle Joe for giving her this idea!)

So, the race was on...Gracie and Justin were trying to beat me for a dollar (I like that price much better)

How could I let these cute kids down? I had to show them what their mom and aunt was made of!

The kids were so darling! I don't think I have ever seen Emily SMILING in a race...I loved it!
It was tough but my coaches Jac and Thomas kept me strong, telling me when to surge and when to hold back...Yep, I beat them all...for this year at least! :)
I don't even want to think about next years compitition they were a lot faster this year then last year's race! Way to go kids!!
Thanksgiving dinner is always a production...good thing we have brave men who will prepare the turkey! We loved having the Parish's and the Buhrley's over! We even got to have Trisha and her fiancé TJ for the celebration!

Right as we were sitting down to our feast, Grandma and Grandpa Whiting skyped us from the Philippines! They LOVED watching us eat...we did feel a bit guilty! It was so wonderful to hear their testimonies and to have them with us on this special day! We miss them so much! When you talk with them you can't but feel the spirit telling you that they are doing EXACTLY what the Lord wants them to be doing! Thank you for your example Mom and Dad!

Truly delicious! Can you guess who had cereal for their dinner? Could her name start with an E and end with a y?? I say, why not eat your favorites on holidays right?! :)
Lot's of smiles, food, laughter, games, more food, smiles and FUN!
This year we had a white elephant exchange...FABULOUS! Doesn't Davin look good in a fro?

Time for some ACTION...Lowes extreme air sports was the perfect way to work off all that turkey :)

Thanks for another fabulous Thanksgiving holiday. We are SO BLESSED to have you all! So much to be thankful for!

Monday, November 19, 2012

The XC awards
Jac received the Pioneer Pride award
VERY deserved :) She has been the "glue of the team" as Coach Rowe put it. EVEN with all her struggles this year. She has proven her dedication and love for the sport and more importantly, the team!

Emily, Kenz, and Jac :)

I was very surprised when the kids called me on stage and presented me with these beautiful roses. It meant so much to know that they notice our efforts as parents! I just felt bad they couldn't recognize ALL the wonderful parents who have helped! It has been so fun working with them... I like to think the team is better because of our efforts to show them love and support. The parents on the team are AMAZING! I feel so blessed to call them friends :)

Jac and I being goofy...ok in truth I couldn't stand to get a picture with my "volcano chin"...yep, the MRCA came back...AGAIN! Good thing my family loves me anyway and will be seen with me in public! :)

Friday, November 16, 2012

To say Emily has had quite the adventure this year, is an UNDERSTATEMENT!

5 surgeries in one year; 3 of them MAJOR, is enough to put anyone over the edge!

I can't tell you how PROUD we are of our sweet Emily. It is never fun to go into surgery and NEVER fun to go through the pain and therapy of recovery.

This cover and strap has to stay on for 24 hours after surgery. It drives Emily CRAZY!
The first thing she did when she woke up was try to rip it off. She really went nuts after this surgery screaming she wanted to go to Toys-r-Us and even trying to jump out of the moving car when we told her no. Her response was "I was just going to walk home Dad"
We were very happy when the anesthesia wore off :)
Emily spent the week laying on the couch watching movies (thanks Angee!) and chillin' with Leo.

Emily always finds peace when Leo is around... Even when she is sleeping she makes sure he is by her side.
We are looking forward to "turning her on" in a few weeks but realize this journey is far from over...it takes a lot time (months) and hard work to get used to. It will be one more obstacle to overcome on this great journey. We are beginning to understand why the Therapists and Doctors keep telling us this is the 'therapy' year. We know in the end it will all be worth it and the lessons we ALL are learning are PRICELESS :)
If I have learned anything so far, it's that Emily CAN DO HARD THINGS!